//------------------------------// // The Road to Past Memories // Story: Remember Them // by Raven Blackwood //------------------------------// Twilight was already heading her way to Ponyville’s cemetery. Her body was wrapped up in her winter clothes from head to hoof. Each hoofstep she took was cold, but she tolerated it. Winter was already here in Ponyville. There weren’t as many ponies as some had decided that it was best to spend time with their families and with their kids. From in the village, Twilight could see the smoke billowing out of the chimneys, showing how everypony was wanting to keep warm from the current state of the weather. She gave a sigh while continuing her way to the cemetery. Spike wasn’t able to come with her as he had informed her that he was busy organizing some books in Twilight’s castle. Twilight didn't seem bothered by Spike not being able to walk with her. She felt comfortable being alone at the time. Not much was on her mind. The only objectives that she had to do was running a few arons with Spike and putting leftover assignments aside to do for tomorrow morning. She didn’t want to spend the whole day doing nothing but duties, but she needed to get out to at least distract her mind from a stressful schedule. The wind brushed over her body, giving her a tingling sensation with how cold it was. Her wings reacted by shuttering. Twilight didn’t seem to mind that much. It was winter after all. Getting further away from Ponyville, Twilight could see some mares, stallions, and kids socializing with each other. A smile came from her to see how ponies were acting with high-esteem while the snow continued to come down from the sky. It was a delightful sight for her. In seeing love and compassion from those who truly enjoy the value of life. To her, it was something to enjoy and to never take for granted. Not everypony had the same luck like the ones that she had been with. She already knew how it was when it came to her friends. The ones that she always had the best time in being with. Some of the ponies that did see her waved their hooves at her with some fillies and colts wanting to go to her, but were held back by their parents. Twilight didn’t mind wanting to have them come over to talk to her about how life’s treating her, but she understood what the parents were trying to say to their kids. It wasn’t a little while longer that she made her way to the end of the village, where a stone road had protruded up to where the cemetery was. Twilight was breathing lightly, with her breath being visible for her to see. The light poles from both sides of the road lit up due to the sun coming down. She trotted up the lonely road that had no other ponies on it. It felt peaceful. Twilight felt like wanting to just teleport to the cemetery, but she was in no rush in doing so. Just going there on hoof made the task more pleasant. As night came in, Twilight saw the moon coming up. Princess Luna was always ahead of the game to keep up with the regular schedule in lowering the sun and putting the moon up to call it a night. The night was as beautiful as it has always been. There were no signs of animals chittering amongst each other. It looked like even they knew it was not worth the time freezing in the harsh cold. Still, that didn’t stop Twilight in wanting to visit her friends who passed away forty years ago. All those memories she had of them started to come back to her while getting closer to visiting their graves. Twilight could just imagine her friends walking with her, talking to her and telling her if everything was alright. But she knew that they weren’t there. None of them were. Including her parents and her brother who passed a while back. Having to deal with such memories can allude to a pony’s mind, seeing that she was immortal, while they were mortals. They were only given a certain period of time to be on Equiss. To her, it was a blessing to have had such friends and family be part of her life. Yet, at the same time, it was depressing in seeing such ponies be part of her journey throughout Equestria no longer be there to support her. She had Spike and the rest princesses, Discord included, but it wasn’t the same. How time had gone by was something that she never paid much attention to until her friends’ deaths came. One by one. Each of them left Equiss with only her to share her thoughts and memories to others about them. At least she knew that her memories with her friends would never be forgotten while she remained forever embedded into the hearts and minds of her subjects. Twilight had finally made it to the cemetery, the gates were closed, but not even a barrier such as that wasn’t going to block her off from seeing her friends’ graves. Her horn resonated the color of her purple eyes, opening the gates up while casually walking into the cemetery. The place had plenty of lights to ensure that she knew where she was going, but she remained extra cautious in not wanting to trip over on anything. With each hoofstep, she turned her head left and right to see where her friends were buried. It was a difficult task since this cemetery had grown over the years. Majority of the graves had family members. From fathers to mothers, to brothers and sisters, and even children who sadly didn’t make it to being teenagers, let alone nearing adulthood. Graves like that made Twilight get sad, seeing how it must’ve been hard for others to bear the mark in seeing their families slowly dying out. It was only natural, of course. Yet Twilight knew that deep down those who had lost their loved ones would one day be reunited in Paradise to be with each other for eternity. But it wasn’t like that for her. Given immorality, she saw that it was a curse that she had to bear for eternity. Knowing that she would never die from disease or from injury. Her body would always heal, never worried about having to be put into a nursing home to spend her last days in the world of the living, let alone being put into a hospital with tubes going down her mouth to make her breath and eat. Something like that from her point of view would be torture. No pony should have to see one of their own family members go through something like that, especially when their life is coming to an end. As she tried to keep her thoughts in order, she discovered each grave of her friends in one row. Their tombstones were in good condition, only with snow covering the top and the bottom of them. She brushed the snow off them, getting them to look cleaner than what they looked like before she found them. Twilight took a few hoofsteps back, sitting on her haunches while viewing the tombstones. Each of them had the names of her friends encrusted in them. All of them also bore the titles in which her friends were given as part of their roles in being connected to the Elements of Harmony. Rainbow Dash- Element of Loyalty Captain of the Wonderbolts Rarity- Element of Generosity Applejack- Element of Honesty Fluttershy- Element of Kindness Pinkie Pie- Element of Laughter “Much has passed since I last came here,” Twilight spoke while she removed the hood off her head to reveal her face. “I wish all of you were still here to see how far I’ve come, but I know you aren’t here to see my progress as princess of Friendship.” Twilight lowered her head, sadness washed over her while the wind blew right at her, with her mane blowing peacefully from it. If there were ponies that were present in the cemetery, they would see that the princess had tears come down from both sides of her face. Her eyes were slightly open as she started to remember what it was like when she was just a unicorn with her friends. All the adventures she had with them. The problems that she had faced. Having teamwork and solving even the most challenging problems hit her in the gut. “Without you girls, I don’t know where I would be,” Twilight sniffled while she rubbed the tears off her face with one of her hooves. “Each and every one of you helped me discover my potential, my talent. I know that I did everything to spend as much time with you when I was by your side, but my heart still aches in knowing that I still remain alive and well while all of you are at peace with your family members.” Memories flooded her mind when she and her friends did the most crucial challenges that they had faced. From defeating Nightmare Moon, to reforming Discord, to the defeat of Queen Chrysalis, Tirek, King Sombra, and so forth while also working with each other to solve their own problems, and trying their hardest to bring peace and harmony to Equestria and to the rest of the world too. Those memories brought peace to her mind. It was something that she had cherished throughout her time as a princess. Having memories like that was what kept her motivated in doing good for Ponyville and for Equestria. Not once did she tell herself to give up. She looked up into the sky, thinking that her friends and family were looking up at her, telling her to keep pushing forward. That everything was going to be okay from here on out. There was no need to feel pain. No need to feel sorrow drown her mind in leading to a negative mindset. They were with her every step of the way. And she knew that they would watch over her like angels. She lowered her head back to front view, smiling while tears continued streaming down her face as the tears hit the cold-iced grass, turning to ice instantly. Twilight got back on all fours, putting her hood back on, and bidding another farewell to her late friends as she left the cemetery. She closed the gates from behind her and traveled back to her castle to see if Spike was done with his duties. “Thanks for the memories, girls.”